Lobbyist Al LaPierre recalls a desperate Larry Langford

Larry Langford arrives at the Federal Building in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, for the federal corruption trial of the Birmingham mayor. (The Birmingham News / Michelle Williams) TUSCALOOSA -- Lobbyist Al LaPierre said Friday he made sure money got into the hands of Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford so LaPierre could share in the proceeds of bond deals made while Langford was president of the Jefferson County Commission.

"He was desperate and needed money," LaPierre testified during the fifth day of Langford's criminal corruption trial in U.S. District Court. "I told him I would see what I could do, and then I called Bill Blount."

LaPierre said he approached the investment banker on numerous other occasions seeking money requested by Langford.

All told, Langford received cash and gifts totaling $236,000 from LaPierre and Blount. In return, prosecutors say, Langford steered county business to Blount Parrish & Co., Blount's firm in Montgomery. The firm netted $7.1 million in fees for helping structure and sell billions in county bonds, interest-rate swaps and other financial transactions.

Both Blount and LaPierre have pleaded guilty to charges related to their dealings with Langford while he was on the County Commission.

Langford, who is charged with 60 counts including bribery, money laundering and fraud, has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys contend he thought longtime friends Blount and LaPierre lent him money and gave him gifts. Instead, they say, Langford was manipulated and stabbed in the back by people he trusted.

If convicted, Langford faces years in prison and fines, and would immediately be removed from office. He attended the trial Friday with his wife and a dozen supporters from his government and religious lives.

LaPierre's testimony followed that of Blount, who on Thursday testified that he paid Langford to make sure Blount Parrish was included in Jefferson County financial deals.

LaPierre testified that the payments to Langford came in several forms: bank loans paid off by Blount, expensive clothes and jewelry paid for by Blount, and cash from checks that Blount wrote to LaPierre. LaPierre testified that he laundered the money through his own accounts and passed it on to Langford.

On Thursday, Blount testified that he knew what he was doing was wrong, and that is why he used LaPierre as a go-between.

"It was obviously illegal for me, working for Jefferson County, to give money to the president of the County Commission," Blount testified Thursday.

In other key testimony Friday, LaPierre said:

He told Langford that he didn't have enough money to help pay Langford's clothing, tax and dental bills. Langford never asked where the money came from when it appeared a few days later.

He never told Langford that it came from Blount, whose investment bank was doing business with the county.

Phony documents were drawn up years after the first payments were made to Langford by Blount through LaPierre. They were designed to make it look like the payments were loans in case the trio were caught. They were never loans, LaPierre said.

Threatt asked LaPierre if he "took advantage" of Langford's "addiction to expensive clothing to manipulate" Langford. "You bought clothes for him to create an obligation from Larry Langford, didn't you?" Threatt asked.

Threatt, referring to the $371,000 LaPierre received from Blount Parrish for being the investment bank's eyes and ears on Jefferson County, then asked: "Were you going to give him a cut?"

"No, I never did that," LaPierre said.

"And you never did because you were never involved in a criminal conspiracy with Larry Langford, isn't that right?" Threatt countered.

Threatt ended his cross-examination by asking LaPierre, 59, whose plea agreement might save him decades of prison time, his age. Threatt asked if avoiding a lengthy prison sentence motivated him to testify against Langford, and LaPierre repeated he was telling the truth.

"Past age 50, every day is precious, isn't it, Mr. LaPierre?" Threatt asked.

Later, LaPierre was asked by Johnson if he manipulated Langford into taking money or if Langford asked for it.

"He asked for it," LaPierre responded.

Then she asked: "Did you guys ever get together one day and say, 'Hey, how about we conspire to violate some interstate wire fraud statutes?'"

"No, we never did that," LaPierre said.

The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Monday.

WHO TESTIFIED

> Bill Blount,
a Montgomery investment banker accused of bribing Larry Langford in ex­change for county business. Blount has pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges.

> Al LaPierre, a lobbyist ac­cused of
acting as the inter­mediary between Blount and Langford. LaPierre has
pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion charges.

WHAT THEY SAID

>
Blount said, "I conspired with Mr. LaPierre and Mr. Langford."

>
LaPierre said banks were always wanting to meet with Langford or Commissioners Shelia Smoot
and Bettye Fine Collins.
"Well, maybe not Bettye," LaPierre said, triggering laughter from Lang­ford and onlookers in the courtroom.

>
LaPierre said Langford
called several times to ask for help paying debts. LaPierre said he would call Blount,
get the money, and then write Langford a check. Langford always said, "Thank you."

>
LaPierre said he had an ar­rangement to make a per­centage of what Blount made. But he said he never of­feredLangford
a cut of the money he received from Blount or asked Langford to
vote a certain way. He also said there was no expressed agreement
between them until they signed fake prom­issory notes in 2008.